Estrangement
I have worked with a number of clients where there is some estrangement within the family. This can be very complex work and is emotionally distressing to all those involved. Those who feel themselves ‘shut out’ are left with no answers to their many questions; for some, it can feel that the party who has withdrawn from the relationship is as removed from them as if they had died. For those making the decision to withdraw, it can come from a place of anger but for many it comes with a strong need for self-care. Recent research shows that the main factors driving estrangement include mismatched expectations, clash of values and emotional abuse, and I have certainly worked with all these in therapy. Estrangements can be short or long-term, and learning to live with these changed relationships is part of the therapeutic process.